Asana
776 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02199
617-535-8888
From the ground floor of the Mandarin Oriental Boston, Asana welcomes diners with authentic and pure New England cuisine. Inspired by local and seasonal ingredients, The culinary team applies its own modern twists to the menu, enriching it with both taste and tradition.
The dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking bustling Boylston Street, gives the space a modern flare that is as vibrant as its Back Bay surroundings. While the hand-carved limestone block walls, rich exotic wood floors, and stylish banquette seating create an organic background for the inspired dishes to truly delight.
For an unparalleled gastronomic experience, the private Chef's Table - which seats up to 10 guests - is located in a glass enclosed room in the kitchen offering a front row seat - almost literally - to all the action behind the scenes.
Dinnerfest 2013
Get a heaping helping of do-gooding on a Sunday afternoon at Victory Programs’ Dinnerfest 2013.
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March 4th – March 10th
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Rachel Klein
Chef at Asana
At the tender age of nine, chef Rachel Klein began to fantasize about becoming a chef. While her contemporaries watched after-school specials, Klein was glued to Julia Child and The Frugal Gourmet. Once, she even dug her own version of an underground bread oven after watching it done on PBS.
Her love of food and culture was further fueled by early and extensive travel with her family throughout Europe and within the United States. This multi-cultural exposure reinforced by her Eastern European roots - her mother is Russian, her father Romanian - made her a natural in the kitchen. She developed a serious work ethic by watching her grandmother, who used to cook for prominent families in Eastern Europe and drew a healthy respect for food from her mother, who shunned all preservatives, shopping only for organics at New York City's food co-ops and farmer's markets. Today, these influences converge in Klein's philosophy as a chef. Klein respects the classics, often deconstructing them to their simplest state, and adding her own fun twist. She is equally conscientious about sustainable agriculture when she plans her menus. Finally, her strong female role models have inspired her practice to seek out women-owned companies whenever possible.
After graduating from the Art Institute of New York City, Klein started to hone her talents for aesthetic beauty using food as her canvas. "Food is the purest form of art because it appeals to all the senses," she says. While living in Manhattan, she enjoyed stints with the city's top chefs, for whom she maintains immense respect and to whom she attributes much of her cooking philosophy. Those mentors are Peter Hoffman of Savoy, Mark Spangenthal of The Screening Room and Anita Lo of Anissa.
Klein was wooed away from Manhattan and onto the thriving Providence culinary scene in 2001. She made a name for herself as Executive Chef at X.O. Café, where she was named one of the country's top chefs by Southwest Airlines' Spirit Magazine and received recognition from Sante, Bistro and Wine & Spirits magazines. In 2004, Klein was hired as Executive Chef of the ultra hip, Lot 401. By the end of that first year, Klein led the restaurant to national acclaim when it was named one of America's Best New Restaurants (2004) by John Mariani of Esquire.
Klein brought the lessons and skills of her early career in New York and her highly acclaimed run in Providence, to Harvard Square, with the opening of Om Restaurant | Lounge and then to the Seaport Hotel where she revamped the menus for the recently refurbished Aura and the Tamo Bar.
Klein maintains her passion for art and surrounds herself with free thinkers, hard workers and creative artists. She appreciates their qualities and continuously draws upon them for inspiration on cooking and living. "Deep down, I know there's an inner rock star waiting to come out, but right now, I know I am born for this stuff."
- Chimichurri
- 1. noun A condiment made of olive oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, salt, cayenne and black pepper.
- Cipollini
- 1. noun Small, yellowish onions that add sweet and savory accents to cooked dishes.
- Confit
- 1. noun Meat (usually goose, duck or pork) that is slowly cooked in its own fat and preserved with the fat packed around it as a seal.
- Crème fraîche
- 1. noun Cream that is allowed to set and thicken to a velvety rich texture.
- Foie gras
- 1. noun Expensive, silk-textured goose or duck liver that has been enlarged by a process you don't want to read about if you're going to eat this dish.
- Fondant
- 1. noun A mixture of sugar, water and cream of tartar that can be formed into candy or decorations. If heated, it can also be used as frosting.
- Frisée
- 1. noun A curly, mildly bitter member of the chicory family, eaten raw in salads.
- Ganache
- 1. noun A rich mixture of chocolate and crème fraîche frequently used as a filling for cakes.
- Jus
- 1. noun French for juice, jus also refers to the unthickened juices from a piece of roasted meat.
- Pâté
- 1. noun Ground meat, fish or vegetables blended with fat and seasonings; can be smooth or chunky, served cold or hot.
- Poivre
- 1. noun French for "pepper."
- Poussin
- 1. noun A small, young chicken.
- Prix fixe
- 1. noun French for fixed price, a complete meal that features a limited number of selections at a preset price.
- Queso
- 1. noun Spanish for cheese.
- Rémoulade
- 1. noun A cold mayonnaise sauce flavored with mustard, gherkins, capers, anchovies and herbs.
- Shiitake
- 1. noun Bold and meaty, these are called "black mushrooms" on Chinese menus.
- Tartare
- 1. noun Ground or finely chopped, seasoned raw meat (traditionally beef). May or may not come mounded, and with a raw egg.
- Tasso
- 1. noun A Cajun specialty, tasso is a lean, seasoned cut of cured pork.
- Togarashi
- 1. noun Small, red Japanese chile.
- Verbena
- 1. noun A lemon-flavored South American herb.
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